Something MUCH more important than Friday Favorites...

My little sis

has officially freaked me out by turning

seventeen today!

My mind is whirling, thinking,

"Hey, wait a sec???  Didn't I just turn seventeen?".

Apparently, without my awareness or permission,

the years have continued to fly by and now my

sweet, adorable, loving, crazy, awesome

sister, Jessie, is having a birthday.

A few things you MUST know about this young woman:

She is halarious.

She is outgoing.

She is an animal-lover... and that's an understatement.

She has a tender heart.

She's amazing with children.

She's incredible with older folks too!

She's adventurous and just "funky".

Yet she's smart and so deep.

She's beautiful, inside and out.

She is talented.

She smiles.

That's got to be one of the best things about her.

She has one of the best smiles I've ever seen.

How I love you, Jessie girl!

My memory doesn't go back far enough to know life without you.

And, though I joke that I was perfect until you came along and

rocked my world,

I would never change who you are and all you've been to me and

everyone else you've touched already in your lifetime.

I love you for making me love Daddy more

(since, all of a sudden, Mom had to focus on YOU and not just ME!).

:-)

I love you for being so happy, even though,

in all of our home videos,

you make me look so moody.

:-P

I love you for your little voice that sang all of the

Shirley Temple songs

SO LOUDLY

ALL OF THE TIME

when we were younger.

I love you for the crazy things you make me do...

things a normal and sane person wouldn't do

unless you were there!

I love you for the way you make everyone laugh...

and how your heart yearns for great and

unsearchable things.

I love that I know we will always be best friends,

simply because you know WAY too much about me!

I love the differences.

I love the similarities.

I love you for loving me through everything.

Thanks, Jess, for being all that you are.

Don't stop, just keep growing.

May this next year be one of strengthening in the Lord,

great memories, learning experiences,

and joy in our Savior.

Happy Birthday!